Police search for 65-year-old man over rucksack bomb in Oviedo that killed sub-inspector
Authorities are searching for M.F., 65, after an improvised explosive device detonated in Villafría, causing the death of a sub-inspector and serious injuries to an explosives expert.
Search for suspect after Oviedo explosion
According to El Español, the National Police deployed an operation to locate a 65-year-old man identified as M.F., accused of leaving a rucksack bomb in Oviedo that killed a sub-inspector. The incident occurred in the Villafría neighbourhood after officers responded to a call reporting a shooting.
The incident began shortly after 7:00 am when the National Police were alerted to a man who had fired at a woman. Officers deployed a large operation around Rafael Urrusti street. The shooter fled the location, leaving a rucksack in the doorway of a social housing building.
When officers proceeded to move the bag, the explosive device detonated. The explosion killed the sub-inspector, a member of the Canine Unit. An officer from TEDAX, the specialist explosives disposal team, suffered serious injuries that required the amputation of a leg. He was urgently transferred to Central University Hospital of Asturias for surgery.
Subsequent analysis of the device revealed it contained a homemade explosive made from aluminium and ammonia. Investigators ruled out the hypothesis of a terrorist attack and are focusing the investigation on a neighbourly dispute. The suspect, identified as a known thief from the area with a record for theft and common assault, remains missing.
According to sources in the investigation, M.F. is described as a bald man wearing glasses and a checked bathrobe at the time of the search. Authorities believe it was the shooter who left the rucksack in the doorway before disappearing. The woman who was shot in the initial shooting was also injured in the incident.
Source: El Español